National Action Alliance for Suicide
Prevention Public Safety Sector
Ms. Erin Oehler
Associate Project Director, Secretariat
National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
Education Development Center
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The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance) at Education Development Center is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services, under Grant No. 5U79SM062297.
The views, opinions, and content expressed are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of SAMHSA or HHS.
Disclaimer
Presentation Overview:
About the Action Alliance
Public Safety Task Force
2019 Public Safety Summit
What We Need From You
Discussion / Q&A
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WHO WE ARE
The Nation’s Public-Private Partnership
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Bringing together influential public and private
sector leaders (representing automobile,
construction, defense, education, entertainment,
faith, forestry, health, insurance, justice, law
enforcement, mental health, military, news media,
sports, railroad, technology, and veteran services)
to advance the National Strategy for Suicide
Prevention.
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Action Alliance’s Priorities
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Transforming Community-based Suicide Prevention:
Public Safety Efforts
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To advance suicide prevention in public safety, we:
Develop resources that the public safety sector can use to integrate
suicide prevention in the workplace
Convene diverse leaders from public
and private sectors to identify public safety needs and solutions
Created a Public Safety Task Force consisting of leaders from
across the sector that convenes monthly
What we see
What’s below the surface that we may not see:
• Trauma• Work stress• Family stress and issues (e.g., parenting stress, sick parent)• Other life challenges • Health issues (e.g., mental illness, other chronic health issues,
injury)• Exhaustion• Life changes
The Tip of the Iceberg
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PUBLIC SAFETY TASK FORCE
Transforming Community-based Suicide Prevention:
Public Safety Task Force
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Members of the Public Safety Task Force work together to:
Strategize and take actionable steps to increase help-seeking
and reduce suicide among the nation’s first responders.
Close the gaps in suicide prevention efforts across the public
safety sector; and
Share best practices and challenges to suicide prevention for
public safety professionals.
Transforming Community-based Suicide Prevention:
Public Safety Task Force
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Organizations and agencies represented include, but are
not limited to:
Law Enforcement Fire Service Emergency Medical Services
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2019 PUBLIC SAFETY SUMMIT
Public Safety Summit
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Held in May 2019 in Washington, DC.
Brought together national leaders from law enforcement, fire service,
emergency medical services, research, and health care entities.
Summit Objectives
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Identify best practices and challenges around suicide prevention in the
public safety sector.
Build a shared vision for a comprehensive, national response to suicide
among public safety professionals.
Facilitate cross-sector connections that spark innovative, actionable
solutions.
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
(SWOT) Analysis
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STRENGTHS (+)
• More focus on mental health and wellness (incoming workforce)
• Increased social connection• Successful programs exist (IAFF peer support
training)
WEAKNESSES (–)
• Lack of policy/process around addressing work-related trauma• Structure and nature of public safety jobs• Lack of knowledge about what to expect in help-seeking• Focus on suicide postvention (org./culture/families after
suicide loss)• Rural vs Urban department size issues (capacity for programs,
policies, paid vs volunteer staff) • Gaps within the public safety sector (differences in LE, fire
service, EMS, etc.)• Awareness and training occurring later in career (midstream
and downstream, rather than upstream)• Role of leadership and lack of knowledgeOPPORTUNITIES (+)
• Improve communication about what to expect when seeking help• Engage affinity/national groups at higher level• Providing consistent tools and resources to individuals• Build robust family support infrastructure• Amplify protective factors• Gather and better understand data around first responder suicide• Incorporate suicide prevention and resiliency as foundational
principle of recruit training (upstream approach)• Engage state-level suicide prevention coordinators (webinar about
public safety sector issues)• Encourage NVDRS to better identify occupation-specific data• Fund and develop an intervention toolbox prior to critical incident• Educate leadership on their role and what to do (create culture of
safety, resiliency, hope for help-seeking)
THREATS (–)
• Lack of education/understanding of behavioral health professionals of public safety sector culture
• Lack of reliable data on first responder suicide• No protection/privacy for peer support• Affordability of technology solutions
SWOT Analysis to Strategy
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1. Educate high-level public safety sector leaders on safe messaging around suicide and suicide prevention2. Collaborate with American Psychological Association (APA) or others to leverage training for mental
health workforce to consider first responder culture competence3. Mobilize a research review team to collect information on the different first responder crisis lines
available; how can we leverage the best, accredited help lines; promote national structure that already exists (1-800-273-8255)
4. Efforts to build mental health and suicide prevention into certifications, trainings, standards, etc. within the sector
5. Develop 10-15 minute training segments that can be incorporated into daily/weekly roll calls, shift changes, meetings, etc.
6. Close gaps/silos across public safety agencies – awareness; serve as community leader; encourage collaboration
7. Catalyze local collaboration (share resources, build connectedness, etc. across urban and rural agencies)8. Policies/Systems — remove disciplinary action for those seeking help; review national privacy protection
policy; best practice models; standards by accreditation organizations around suicide prevention9. Emphasize humanity of public safety sector and suicide prevention, rather than focus on the “hero” label
STRATEGIES
SWOT Analysis: Strategy to Action
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Identified 3 key areas of focus
Policy
Collaboration
Messaging
Action Step: Policy
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Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute and Action Alliance
Conduct landscape analysis of current national policy (e.g., Governor’s and Mayor’s
Challenge policy academy)
Research accreditation organizations – suicide prevention policies
Action Step: Collaboration
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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
and Action Alliance
Work with state and local suicide prevention entities and coordinators on issues around
suicide prevention for public safety professionals.
Help get Action Alliance’s Suicide Prevention Competencies for Faith Leaders resource into
the hands of department chaplains.
Action Step: Collaboration
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Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and Action Alliance
Work together to expand COPS’ cultural competency training to cover all public safety
professionals.
Develop tools and resources.
Action Step: Messaging
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Promote positives messages through agencies’ respective channels (social media, trade
publications, websites, conference materials, etc.)
Involve public messengers from public safety organizations (public information officers,
public affairs officers, etc.) in safe messaging efforts.
Develop consistent messaging for the public safety profession
Requires—audience audit (who are we messaging to, what is the message we are trying to convey, what is the
best channel to convey the message, etc.)
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WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
Our Ask
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The Action Alliance requests that the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association/Urban Fire Forum
Chiefs:
Endorse the work of the Action Alliance Public Safety Task Force; and
Commit to working across the public safety sector to reduce first responder suicide.
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DISCUSSION / Q&A
CONNECT WITH THE ACTION ALLIANCE
www.theactionalliance.org